Coach Shep, on everything about Beaver football

As he begins his first season as Oregon State’s head coach, JaMarcus Shephard says “there is nothing about the job I don’t enjoy”

Do you ever feel tired and overworked? Do the pressures of a difficult job ever get to you?

If JaMarcus Shephard feels such tension, he does a heck of a job hiding it.

Oregon State’s football coach is embracing his new gig like a goldfinch devouring seed.

When I ask how he likes being the general instead of one of the lieutenants, he smiles.

“Somebody asked me the other day, ‘What do you not like about being a head coach?’ ” Shephard says during a 45-minute interview Monday in his Valley Football Center office. “So I am sitting there thinking for awhile. It was a great question. I try to be thoughtful in my responses.

“I really couldn’t think of anything. My mom called me on Easter Sunday and said, ‘You know what, you’ve always been bossy, JaMarcus. You are right where you need to be, as the boss.’ ”

Shephard laughs, then says, “There is nothing about the job that I am not enjoying.”

The coach hasn’t yet had to fire an assistant or demote a player, so give him time. But for now, a rosy demeanor is the constant companion of the Beaver boss.

Oregon State is in its third of five weeks of practice leading up to the Spring Game on April 25. After the first week of drills, the Beavers took a two-week break. Shephard took advantage of that by bringing his family — wife Hallie and children Jaylan, Alana and Maliyah — to Corvallis from Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they will remain until the end of the school year there in mid-May.

“They enjoyed looking around town,” JaMarcus says. “They went to the ocean and to various spots all around, trying to get to the ski lodge (in central Oregon). They did a lot of that while I was wrapping up some things before our spring break began.”

This is the second time Shephard, who took over the OSU job in early December, has been separated from his family. The first time was in 2022, when they moved from West Lafayette, Ind., to Seattle as JaMarcus left Purdue for Washington.

“We had been (at Purdue) for five years, and our kids had formed some strong relationships,” Shephard says. “But after that, we decided the next time we were all going to do it at the same time.”

That is what happened in 2024 after Shephard left Washington with head coach Kalen DeBoer for Alabama. When he accepted the head job at OSU, though, the Shephards reverted back to previous form.

“The kids had gotten close to some friends in Tuscaloosa,” JaMarcus says. “Really, it boiled down to Alana.”

The Shephards’ oldest daughter, 12, has a strong interest in dance.

“She is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet, a most polite, humble, respectful human being,” he says. “But don’t get it wrong. She is a savage and a competitor.”

When she began at a dance academy in Tuscaloosa, Alana experienced competitiveness at high level.

“At first, she was at the back of every dance, even though she felt she was as good as most of the girls,” JaMarcus says. “Eventually, she earned her way to the front of her age group. I thought it was right for her to get to finish what she started.”

The coach misses his family, but in some ways, the split was a blessing in disguise.

“My wife and I talked about it,” JaMarcus says. “With the new role (as head coach) that I have taken on, it probably was a good thing that I was able to get here, get acclimated and not have to put all the beds together right away. This has been a welcome time for me to get acclimated to Corvallis, Oregon State, my staff and my players. In the long run, it will end up being a good thing.”

I ask Shephard about the mixture of age and experience among his 10 full-time assistant coaches. Defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre, 61, a former head coach at Colorado, San Jose State and Florida International, is in his 34th year of college coaching. Defensive line coach Mark Hagen, 56, is a 35-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, including 31 as a full-time assistant. Edges coach Joe Seumalo, who turns 60 in August, has coached collegiately for 27 years, including nine (2006-14) as D-line coach under Mike Riley at Oregon State. Ricky Brumfield has more than two decades experience coaching special teams in such college programs as Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia and Florida International, as well as 11 years with the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship program.

On the flip side is offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen, 33, a former quarterback at Redmond High who coached six seasons under current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer at Fresno State and Washington and with the Crimson Tide. The rest of Shephard’s full-time staff are in their late ‘30s and 40s.

“You hit the nail on the head in terms of the various degrees of experience, the different age groups and the different leagues all of them have coached in,” Shephard says. “That is a good thing for us. It was fun putting that group together, knowing the (coaching) trees they have been a part of. I am grateful to all of them for coming here and helping me get this thing started.”

Five months into life as a Corvallisite, Shephard says “it has been outstanding.”

“The people have been very much welcoming to myself, to my coaching staff and to all the new players,” he says. “That is a sign of the right kind of culture that you want to be a part of. I am very happy to be a part of it.”

He breaks into a big smile.

“And the weather — man, you guys tell everyone how much it rains here … you just want to have the place to yourselves,” he says, laughing again. “The weather has been great. The winter was mild, a lot of nice days. I am loving it.”

Shephard seems pleased with the way the early sessions of spring ball have gone.

“The guys are immersing themselves strongly in what we are asking them to do,” he says. “That part of it is exciting. We haven’t had a ton of live tackling to this point, but we have seen a lot from them in terms of what they are capable of. In the words of Mike Tomlin, it is not only about what you’re capable of, it is about what you are willing to do.

“We are pushing the envelope to find out what they are actually willing to do. We try to create a little bit of adversity and put them in an environment they haven’t been in and see if they are willing to go the extra mile to get some of the stuff done that we are asking.”

Video of Shephard as an assistant coach has, as they say, gone viral. He is nothing if not vocal as he goes about his duties. Is he the same way as a head coach?

“I have to catch myself at practice,” he says after a long laugh. “In this role, you have to coach the coaches. There are some players that I have strong relationships with who I have known for a long time, and they are coming to me and saying, ‘Hey coach, I’m not used to you not talking this much.’    At least they are noticing that I am trying to calm down in that regard and coach the coaches.”

How is the talent on hand for Shephard’s first Oregon State team?

“I feel pretty good about where we are at with that,” he says. “I am excited to see a couple of players we’ve recently added and see what they can do. Some have already shined in the first few practices after spring break. That is super exciting, also knowing we are still going to add some more to the roster before the team comes together in totality. There are some high school kids coming in, and if there are guys still in the portal who we want, we can add them if we have room.”

The Dean of Portland Sports is now on BlueSky.

In an interview in late February, athletic director Scott Barnes told me that the revenue-sharing budget for football was at about $4 million, but that he believed it should be at about $7 million. I ask Shephard if that still held true, and if it were sufficient to both attract and retain players. Sources have told me that Shephard and football general manager Eron Hodges — who worked together at Alabama — have met with, and will continue to meet with, potential donors who can help the Beaver coffers in that regard.

“Nothing has changed from what Scott has said,” Shephard says. “But we are working tirelessly to improve that. You know what? We have put in a lot of good development work since I have gotten here. Folks who had immersed themselves into the history of this program, they are excited about what this can be. We will see how that unfolds in the next couple of months.”

Shephard, here looking out his Valley Football Center office onto Reser Stadium, says a key to the Beavers’ offense will be eliminating turnovers

Then it is time to talk personnel. I ask first about the quarterbacks. Senior Maalik Murphy is the incumbent, sort of, after winning, then losing the starting job last season. Sophomore Braden Atkinson, a sophomore transfer from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and senior Brady Jones, a senior transfer from Western Michigan, are the others vying for a starting role.

The 6-5, 235-pound Murphy and Jones, 6-4 and 215, have great size, but the 6-1, 210-pound Atkinson is no pipsqueak.

“We have strong competition going on at quarterback,” Shephard says. “They are starting to understand what our expectations are for them. It is important that we don’t turn the ball over. That is a driving force of a good team. We don’t give the other team (extra) possessions. Enforcing that with our quarterbacks is one of the most key ingredients right now.

“These guys are competing for a job. They want to show, ‘Hey, I am capable,’ and they are missing some throws at times.”

Murphy, says Shephard, “has a big arm and quite a bit of experience, though not as much as you might think. He didn’t play much at Texas, then had one full season at Duke and a half-season here, but he brings the most knowledge and expertise of the three. He pays attention in the meetings and knows exactly what we want to do. He has to do a good job of taking that and putting it on the field.”

One of Murphy’s detriments a year ago in the eyes of many fans, and this sportswriter, was his reluctance to take off and run the football. Shephard listens to my view on the subject and nods, then alludes to something he says he learned coaching under Bobby Petrino at Western Kentucky and Jeff Brohm at Western Kentucky and Purdue.

“They would emphasize to our quarterbacks, ‘We need you to get two, three first downs with your legs every single game,’ ” Shephard says. “There is no doubt about it, sometimes you just have to pull it down and run it.”

However ….

“There is such an emphasis with the quarterbacks on keeping their eyes downfield so they have the chance to complete a pass,” he says “There has to be a timing mechanism that goes off in your brain and tells you, ‘OK, I have been holding onto it long enough. Let’s take off and see if I can get us a first down.’ ”

Atkinson doesn’t appear to be a runner — his numbers as a freshman were 14 carries, nine rushing yards including three sacks. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, claiming the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS ranks.

“Braden has shown some of the best anticipatory growth that I have seen from a quarterback,” Shephard says. “Talk about being able to manage the game the right way — he has done a really good job in that aspect. He has to take care of the football. There have been some times when he is trying to make a throw — and you don’t want to take away his confidence — but hey, take care of that thing.”

Jones played sparingly last season at Western Michigan, completing 19 of 40 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions. As a sophomore at Riverside (Calif.) JC in 2024, he threw for 4,456 yards and 44 TDs with eight picks while running for 377 yards and six scores in 12 games.

“Brady has had the most ‘wow’ throws of the whole group — just great throws,” Shephard says. “We will continue to push him on consistency every single day. It is not just about the ‘wow’ throws; I want smart stuff, too. Football isn’t just about making touchdowns; it is about making first downs. If you can continue to get first downs, those lead to touchdowns.”

Shephard calls the running backs position “a real bright spot” so far this spring. Cornell Hatcher Jr., and Jake Reichle are returnees along with redshirt freshmen Kourdey Glass and Skyler Jackson. The other candidates are transfer AJ Newberry from Vanderbilt and incoming freshman Tre Garrison.

Hatcher, a 6-foot, 215-pound sophomore, was Oregon State’s No. 2 rusher last season with 292 yards for an excellent 5.6-yard average and two touchdowns as backup to starter Anthony Hankerson.

“Hatch carried the load early for the room,” Shephard says. “He is the most cerebral one with our young guys. Hatch will be an integral part of this offense all season long.”

Shephard seems to have a soft spot for Reichle, a 6-2, 220-pound senior from Lakeridge High who played mostly special teams in 2025 and is more of a fullback type.

“Jake brings a whole nuther element,” the OSU coach says. “He fires me up every time he touches the football. And his teammates are rooting for him. Jake has been outstanding with his approach. I am excited about what he can do for the group.”

Newberry, a 6-1, 200-pound senior, played sparingly the past three years at Vandy, rushing 18 times for 57 yards and three TDs last season.

“He has shown an ability to change direction and find opportunities to make plays,” Shephard says. “He looks like a guy who can be counted on early.”

The 5-10, 200-pound Glass and the 6-1, 220-pound Jackson — the latter the son of Steven Jackson — have both missed some action this spring due to minor injuries.

“I like both of them,” Shephard says. “Skyler has made some impressive runs. My office is right next to the running backs office. I see Glass in there every single day. He is putting in the extra time.”

The 5-10, 190-pound Garrison carried 41 times for 189 yards and a TD and led an unbeaten Edna Karr High team to an undefeated season and state championship as a senior last fall, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and earning state title game MVP honors. Garrison initially committed to Nicholls State, then to Washington State before finally deciding on the Beavers.

“Tre came in early from high school and is getting over the hump early,” Shephard says. “He has a shot at playing early.”

After summarizing the group, Shephard smiles again.

“I just named all six of our backs,” he says. “It has been fun watching that group develop. If I were to describe them in one word, it is toughness, which is a staple of what we are trying to build. In this program, it is about family, accountability and toughness.”

Shephard mentions the 2022 Civil War game at Reser Stadium, in which Oregon State ran the ball on 19 consecutive plays in a come-from-behind 38-34 victory over Oregon.

“You’re surprised I know about that one, aren’t you?” He says with the familiar laugh. “That was a dichotomy of what Oregon State football is, or should be. I am told that Steven Jackson was concerned about if we would run the ball as much, because I was a receiver (as a player), I totally get that. But I want to let Steven know, I grew up a running back. The reason I became a receiver is because I could change direction once I caught the ball.”

A smile. “I am the ultimate advocate of making sure we run the ball well,” he says. “To see the potential we have to do that excites me.”

Shephard’s comments on the other position groups:

Though the defense is missing several key figures due to injury this spring, Shephard sees good things coming on that side of the ball (courtesy OSU sports communications)

• Wide receiver: “The receiver room knows I am very demanding of them. Very rarely are they going to hear ‘good job’ from me, because expectations are high. … (Aeryn) ‘Bubba’ Hampton (5-10, 195 transfer from Alabama) has looked the part from the toughness part but also with playmaking ability in the last few practices … Aaron Butler (6-foot, 175-pound sophomore transfer from Texas) is getting better. I am going to say this to you so that it gets back to him: He needs to get better on his detail, period. The more he does that, the more we will ask him to do, and then the sky is the limit. He can run, he can make people miss in space, he can do a lot of good things, but his detail has to improve. But that kid has some juice behind him. … Xavylon Noland (5-6, 165-pound junior transfer from Texas-Rio Grande Valley who caught 37 passes for 776 yards and a Southland Conference-leading 21 yards per reception — he also had a 52-yard run on a fly sweep) has some jets. We will keep pushing him. … Ross Nickson III (6-4, 205 junior from Riverside (Calif.) JC, is a long, fast kid, who has the ability to play above the rim. … (6-4, 220-pound sophomore) Eddie Freauff has been banged up so we haven’t seen much of him. … (6-2, 190-pound sophomore) Malachi Durant has been showing up in a way he has not had the opportunity to before. He is a detail kid, and he has been making a few plays. … (6-3, 200-pound senior) Karson Boschma is in his fourth season here and knows exactly what we want. I put more pressure on him than anybody else because he is a leader. He rarely hears me say ‘Good job,’ but he knows I love the person that he is. Expectations about that room start with him.”

• Tight ends: “I started my career coaching tight ends. I love our tight ends. We have a great tight end room. They root for each other; they are battling each other. … We have what we call ‘Y’ and ‘H’ tight ends. We will definitely use some two tight-end sets. … Eric Olsen (6-5, 230 senior transfer from Utah Tech, where he had 52 receptions for 583 yards and two TDs last season) is showing up. At one practice he didn’t perform as well as I expected and I got on him so bad. Since then, he has been dialed in. Super excited about him. … DeCorian Temple (6-6, 245 transfer from Central Michigan, where he had 17 catches for 143 yards and two scores) has had a few plays where he has looked like a top draft pick. He was pancaking (defenders), making contested catches and running down the field with speed. The consistency on all that has to be there, but he looks like he is going to be a guy like that. … Gabe Milbourn (6-5, 250 senior) is in his sixth year with us. He is a vet who knows what he is doing, and he figures into the leadership picture for sure.”

• Offensive line: “As a group, they are starting to gel. We are mixing most of the guys around at different positions — we will put our best five out there once we figure it out … Carter Guillaume (6-1, 295 redshirt sophomore transfer center from Louisville who was a starter as true freshman in ’24 at Southwest Missouri State) is communicating to all the guys at a high level. … Teko Shoats (6-3, 275 junior transfer from Bethune-Cookman) has shown some athleticism, some promise. He just has to put on some weight. We will have him at 290 by the time the season starts … . Kwan Johnson (6-5, 300 sophomore transfer from Eastern Illinois, where he was a starter as a redshirt freshman) has already shown he can be a real guy in our offensive line. … Nathan Elu (6-5, 325 senior who started seven games in ’25) has started to make some strides. He is a strong communicator, really cares about the program. … he has been out (with injury) so far but looking forward to getting back Tyler Voltin (6-4, 350 senior who started seven games in ’25). Even in his absence he has had a great impact with the group. He is cutting some weight, and it has been consistent. I am looking forward to getting him inserted with the group. … Josiah Timoteo (6-5, 320 junior who started six games in ’25), that kid has every tool to be a really elite offensive lineman. He has size, twitch, some good things in his box.”

• Defensive line: “Coach Hagen is one of the elder statesmen on the staff. I love his demeanor in the office and on the practice field. He is hard-nosed and tough. The players love it. He is very technical, very specific. And Tevita Pome’e (6-3, 310-pound junior) is the one who will most benefit from Coach Hagen being here. … Takari Hickle (6-3, 280 senior) will be one of our best players on defense. He is a tough customer … Daniel Matagi (6-foot, 300-pound senior transfer from Portland State), this kid has been in the weight room. He is a man, a former wrestler. He has some toughness and grit. … Adrian Onyiego (6-3, 220 sophomore transfer from Navarro JC in Corsicana, Texas) has already shown great energy … Jarrell Comer (6-4, 235 junior transfer from Citrus JC in Glendora, Calif.) came right in and didn’t look out of place. He has potential.”

• Linebackers: “We think we are in good shape at linebacker, but we haven’t had a full complement of players in that room because of injuries this spring. I think there will be a lot of talent there; it is a super competitive group, a bunch of smart kids with some experience. Aiden Sullivan (6-1, 225-pound senior who had 72 tackles, including seven for loss, and three forced fumbles last season but is recovering from a shoulder injury    this spring) is one of them. We know he is a player … Dylan Layne (6-2, 235-pound senior transfer from Idaho, Lake Oswego High grad, led the Vandals with 137 tackles, 10 1/2 for loss, last season) is a player, too, and a leader in the room. … Jabari Odoemenem (6-1, 235 pound senior transfer from Duquesne, where he had 49 tackles, 5 1/2 TFL, in ’25) has made some plays. He has caused a lot of havoc and created some turnovers. … we will use both 3-4 and 4-3 sets to give multiple guys an opportunity to get on the field.”

• Secondary: “I am excited where we are in the defensive back room. We have some competition going on there. We are going to add another young man to the roster who is going to compete to be one of the top guys. …. Sai Vadrawale III (5-11, 185 junior) is a leader back there. I like him a lot .. Trey Glasper (6-1, 175 sophomore) is one of the guys in the corner room who has shown some good ability … I coached against Isaiah Houi (5-10, 175 junior transfer from Eastern Illinois) at Alabama. He knocked the crap out of one of my receivers not once, but twice. The guy has some toughness, all that and more, some energy about him. He is going to be a good player.”

The Beavers will scrimmage with live tackling on Saturday and on Friday April 17. The Spring Game is set for April 25. The format will be determined “on the availability of our roster,” Shephard says. “It is looking like we will have an actual game. We are getting some kids back from injuries. What I want to do is split the team in half; the offensive line is the biggest question. I will make that information available so the fans know before the game.”

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